2010 CHEVROLET HHR Owners Manual

{WARNING:
A safety belt that is not properly worn may not
provide the protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and
across the chest. These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt asdescribed previously in this section. Make sure that
the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze the
belt edges together so that the safety belt can be
removed from the guide. Pull the guide upward to
expose its storage clip, and then slide the guide onto
the clip. Turn the guide and clip inward and slide them
in between the seatback and the interior body, leaving
only the loop of the elastic cord exposed.
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Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt,
and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more
likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer/
retailer will order you an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and use
it only for the seat it is made to fit. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing child
seats. To wear it, attach it to the regular safety belt. For
more information, see the instruction sheet that comes
with the extender.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle's safety belts.The manufacturer's instructions that come with the
booster seat state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt
until the child passes the below fit test:
.Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees
bend at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
.Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder
belt rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, try
using the rear safety belt comfort guide. See
“Rear
Safety Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-Shoulder
Belt
on page 2‑28for more information. If the
shoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,
then return to the booster seat.
.Does the lap belt fit low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
.Can proper safety belt fit be maintained for the
length of the trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
.If you have the choice, a child should sit in a
position with a lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
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Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross
the face or neck. The lap belt should fit snugly
below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs.
This applies belt force to the child's pelvic bones in
a crash. It should never be worn over the abdomen,
which could cause severe or even fatal internal
injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 2‑28.
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown out
of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety belts
properly.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear the same safety
belt. The safety belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A safety
belt must be used by only one person at a time.
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{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing the lap-shoulder
belt properly. In a crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt. The child could
move too far forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child might also slide
under the lap belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across the chest.
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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up to some age must
be restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap‐shoulder belts offer protection for
adults and older children, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them. Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they
should have the protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike
other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will
suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
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{WARNING:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat.
If you must secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move the
front passenger seat as far back as it will go.
2-39

Q: What are the different types of add-on childrestraints?
A: Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the
vehicle's owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take into
consideration not only the child's weight, height,
and age but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used in a
motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a label
saying that it meets federal motor vehicle safety
standards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that
come with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{WARNING:
To reduce the risk of neck and head injury during
a crash, infants need complete support. This is
because an infant's neck is not fully developed
and its head weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing child restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be distributed across the
strongest part of an infant's body, the back and
shoulders. Infants should always be secured in
rear-facing child restraints.
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